10,000HEADS - Step 1 > Shampoo - Importance of the Proper One

SUDS LAW

Step 1 of 10,000HEADS –

Shampoo

Shampoos are about as big a subject as there is in Hair Care, it is the single biggest hair care product for sale and it is the single most asked about hair care subject – so the importance is enormous. There are thousands of brands of shampoos ranging from special baby shampoos all the way to “Shimmer Lights” a shampoo made for the grey hair set and everything in between. They make them for dandruff and for redheads, for men and for blonde’s, for African Americans and Latina Americans . . . there simply is not a category shampoos are not made for. Daily hair care regimens were once as simple as: Wet hair, lather, rinse, repeat. Today, however, your choices extend way beyond traditional shampoos and conditioners. As far as being the #1 Step for 10,000 Heads – it is because the requests lately have skyrocketed. I have been squawking and hawking the benefits of Sulfate-free shampoos now for 5-6 years, finally the hype on the subject has caught up with me and my big mouth, which I thank the publicity machines for every single day.

The shampoos that stand out in your mind have the biggest and sexiest advertising campaigns. Its really quite funny but when working in the Salon if you survey men and their shampoo choices, I simply cannot help but laugh my ass off. Every single one of them professes to use Herbal Essence . . . you know why? Because the advertisement on the Television involves a girl having a sexual climax (that happens to me when I shampoo my hair, doesn’t it to you?). Absolutely, brilliant marketing, by my standards. It works – every single man on the planet heads for it at the store, and only because they get there -- see hundreds of bottles -- think “oh know – which one?” and then remember the TV commercial. But, there are some very specific chemistry facts that you must know before you buy one more bottle of shampoo. Its time every single person pays attention to the shampoo they use, by reading labels…from this day forward. It is imperative in today’s world; we pay attention to labels on the food we eat, why wouldn’t we do the same with cosmetics and beauty products that enter our body through our skin?

Do you realize that right here in America, there are no rules, no guidelines and no restrictions overseeing what ingredients are used in our cosmetics. Yes, I know the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is supposed to be watching, but as I have said before there are MILLIONS of products and there is no way possible to govern all those products and the manufacturers KNOW THAT. You people seem amazed at the fact that there is no one watching out over the products, as chemists we are supposed to be happy about the laxity in the governing of products but I am more concerned in what is happening to the hair on my clients’ heads than anything. Every decent hair stylist in the past 10 years knows the single biggest concern lately to us all . . . is the rise in hair loss and hair thinning and this is not just happening to men in their 50’s. Hair thinning is the most talked about subject in hair Salons here in California as it is on the rise most in women ages 18 to 50 and no one knows why. It is also happening super frequently to men ages 17 to 40, and again no one knows why. 15 years ago there was nowhere near the amount of people complaining about hair thinning and loss and in my mind it has become an epidemic. You have to realize when something like this happens in a town like Malibu, and to all of my friends and colleagues . . . I take it personally and have been on the warpath ever since – trying to figure out ‘why’- there “IS” a reason that things have changed, but as I see it the medical community doesn’t see something as trivial as hair thinning as something to worry about.

You do not “die” from hair loss and with the new look of a shiny shaved “Bruce Willis “bald head” as sort of “cool” now, they just don’t put any credence in the sudden and ongoing ‘rise’ of the amount of people it is affecting. Why in the world did hair thinning and hair loss go from affecting 20% of my client base to about 60-70% of my total client base including BOTH sexes ?

Every single hair stylist - if they want to be perfectly honest, has the same results with their clients, I cannot say I know what is going on in other states . . but why would there be any difference at all. Remember now, I have not been in a Salon for over 6 years and when I retired it was the single biggest problem all 20 of us in the Salon were having...we just didn't want to make a big deal out of it, because what would we do to solve it? and how would we deal with our hundreds of clients getting all frantic about the situation ? So, nothing was said as the problem remained the same and the issues were not addressed. When I retired and began working in a Lab as opposed to a Salon, I began trying to tackle the issue on my own. Being from "nutty California" I employ the idea of mind-body-spirit, in most things I do . . . I just truly believe in that theory and I truly believe that all 3 must be aligned in order for the body to become whole and healthy. I also bought every book I could find on hair and health and began reading on the subject, I had plenty of time to do so, so I decided to become an expert on how to have the healthiest hair possible which is where the 10 steps come from for 10,000HEADS.

To begin with, the problem of hair thinning was affecting both sexes, all ages and even youth. That is what startled me, people I had asked about their mothers/fathers hairloss, and none seemed to be ringing true to prior subjects, so the tide was changing. This new massive hair loss and hair thinning was for lack of a better word, heading towards "out-of-control"... that's not something I wanted to let out f the bag - it would create a type of panic and I knew that was not necessary nor would anyone really pay attention to it. Hair loss - AGAIN - was not a health issue, so there was no reason to act like it was.

What is the most common product used on hair?

Shampoo

What product does just about every person on the planet use?

Shampoo

I began by taking the ingredients in the top shampoos –and researching each one to see if any of them had any history of deteriorating the hair follicle, it didn’t take long for me to discover something very interesting back in 2003 even. There were a number of articles about the harshness of one of the main ingredients. . . . that was in almost ALL shampoos.

Yep, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate. SLS and ALS.

Then in 2003 I ordered the first large, thorough and complete textbook:

DISORDERS of HAIR GROWTH – Diagnosis and Treatment

by Elise Olsen

its one of those huge 500 page Medical textbooks,

which I proceeded to read from cover to cover.

Dr. Olsen is a Dermatologist (medical doctor ) that has pretty much dedicated her career to hair loss and the cause of hair thinning. In the United States she is probably the foremost expert in the subject as far as I can tell. As funny as it sounds the day I got this textbook, things changed for me as far as this subject. Having done some of my own tests and experiments with hair follicles, the microscope and SLS, reading what Dr. Olsen wrote on the subject, confirmed my own suspicions. I’m not a formerly trained scientist, {have been pretty much “self trained”} – now to watch what happens to the hair follicle under a microscope and by adding SLS & water to the hair, well it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that SLS was destructive to hair. You could see the follicle sizzle and curl up – almost disintegrate—not a good thing Ladies and Gents. Here is the paragraph I read that jolted me into a new person and started me on my:

Ban > SLS campaign for the next 7 years . .

This next paragraph is directly from the Textbook and Dr. Elise Olsen in 2003

DETERGENT shampoo

Since many people live in areas with hard water, new formulations of shampoo using sulfonated oil started to become popular in the 1960’s. These shampoos consist of 3 major components” (1) principal surfactants for detergency and foaming power (2) secondary surfactants to improve and condition the hair (3) additives that complete the formulation and add special effects. The surfactants or detergents act by removing the dirt from the hair with a lipophilic component and transferring it to the rinse water with a hydrophilic component.

The 3 types of surfactants or detergents found in shampoos are anionic, nonionic, and amphoteric.

The principal surfactants in detergent shampoos are the anionic substances. These are names for their negatively charged hydrophilic components and are made from alcohol obtained from the fatty acid of coconut and palm leaves. Sodium Lauryl sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate have the strongest cleaning and lathering qualities. However these occasionally can be too strong and irritating. This could either be because of the high pH or too much detergent action on the hair, which causes too much sebum to be removed. Clients with chemically damaged hair may wish to avoid swelling of a damaged cuticle by an alkaline shampoo by selecting one that is more pH balanced.

Also, the sulfo-succinates are strong degreasers but leave the hair in poor condition. It is reported that these are also highly allergic and that contact dermatitis to this product in a shampoo also occurs quite frequently. I realize that these are all long and confusing words . . . but its time they start to be introduced to your vocabulary. All of them are variations of SLS and sulfates that need to be eliminated from your shampoos. There are plenty of safe surfactants – I promise you – plenty. The thing is, they are more expensive and are harder to work with, but that’s OK, at least the hair on your head will remain there after using them.

There are many studies and research Trials going on right now on SLS and sulfates. Shampoo manufacturers are very powerful, as I’ve said before they are the Number 1 advertiser in the country – advertising “king” = “KING” period.

SLS has been shown to deteriorate the hair follicle, it retards the growth cycle of hair and increases the amount of time needed to re-grow hair from a normal of 3 months to up to 24 months. .which is prolonging the “sleeping stage” of hair growth and giving you the appearance of hair loss. So many chemicals and ingredients affect hair negatively, and they must be noted and watched out for from now on.

I believe that SLS ( sodium lauryl sulfate ) is responsible for all the remarkeable NEW hair loss and hair thinning rise in America, of course you will never get any of the big manufacturers or chemists to say this.. like anything, they can test SLS in their own manner and come out with OK results. But there are plenty of tests that show SLS as such a caustic cleaner it actually corrodes the hair follicle and impairs its ability to grow. SLS also causes a dramatic decline in the hair growth cycle and it prolongs the hair loss phase ( normally 3 months) by a factor of 8. Its funny, simply removing this darn ingredient and its corrosive irritating effects, begins to restore the natural healthy function of the hair follicle. Do you know how blown away I was when I realized that this information was in textbooks and research studies all over the country?

I truly honestly feel that SLS is at the bottom of the huge increase in hair thinning and hair loss in America, I know that is a big huge statement but I

truly

honestly

believe

it.

The timing of when it was introduced and how long it took to start to make such a huge difference in people's hair makes sense that it would be the culprit.

I just feel, no one will ever cop to it. Which I don't care about, I'm not into all that. All I want is for the problem to STOP and go AWAY - - - FAR AWAY.

So please . . even if you have tons of hair, and that is not your issue . . do not use shampoo with SLS, sodium Lauryl Sulfate, or ALS in it - for your own good. If you have children,or babies. . . be sure that ingredient is not in anyone's shampoo. Please.

_____________________________________

Lather it up - - the “numbers”

I know this is going to sound incredible to you but the shampoo industry is a $1.4 Billion dollar business.

Isn’t that incredible, that we spend that much on shampoo !

. .and in this lousy economy we have, the darn segment showed a 3% increase as well last year.

Check out this chart and the shampoos that are the biggest sellers.
Like I said they are the ones with biggest and flashiest advertising campaigns. . .

Stirring up rich, sudsy lather without sulfates – that’s how a growing number of consumers want their shampoo and conditioners to perform. Sulfates have been found to strip hair of essential moisture leaving it dull… if there is nothing else you look for when you purchase your shampoo > look at that ingredient list on the back and make sure there is nothing that looks like this ……. >>> Sodium Lauryl Sulfate ………Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate….. or I have seen some of them disguising it by noting it this way SLS – even. I believe these ingredients are causing hair loss, there is absolutely no reason for me to bring this up other than when I switched all 500 of my clients back in 2003 off of all shampoos with SLS in them {not an easy task back then}- - - added THRIVEN, the secret supplement and began everyone on the protocol I now call 10,000HEADS - I had an improvement in the 90% range. So as silly as it sounds, the results were there. I have terrific "common sense" and that is kind of what my entire protocol is based on, good common sense.

90-95% of the 500 clients showed improvement – remarkable improvement. I highly suggest you follow my clients lead.

Hair thinning is a problem I wouldn’t wish on anyone, no its not life threatening . . . but you know what it is?

It is depressing and it is a sad and discouraging problem, I know I had it for 2 years in 2000 and I thought I wasn't going to be able to solve my own issues - - back then as well.

The best aspect you can have in someone trying to solve a certain problem is for them to have the issues/problem - themself. Then you get dedication and direction.

So, not only cover all shampoos in your life, PLEASE - spread the word - its a simple solution and I have been told that even all the shampoo on this list below are in the process of switching their formula's to have no more SLS in their bottles. You know what that entails? Its not like changing the formula for a small shampoo, so it must mean they have also discovered what I have. . . if they are all changing their formulas as well.

Hmmmmmm isn't that interesting!?

The BIG Shampoo Review - - Understanding Shampoo -- pH scale

I never know where to start - - again its the whole "chicken and egg" predicament.

But am going to start on the pH scale as I feel it is so very important to understand in relation to shampoo and hair care products in general .

Potential Hydrogen (pH)

Understanding what pH is and how is affects the skin and hair is essential to understanding most of the services that you get in a Salon or that you perform on your own noggin. This will be a brief overview of pH and how it works so then I will go right into pH and shampoos. I'm using a couple textbooks to help me with this, as much as I understand it, I tried writing my own post on the subject and ended up trashing it, my version was so confusing, I gave it to my neighbor to read and he had the most confused look on his face. So we will go with this and see how it works. Its not necessary to fully understand pH, but I would like you to at least have an idea what it is for future reference.

Having the proper pH shampoo makes ALL the difference in the world, as far as tangling and the hairs condition at the end of the shampoo. Many of you have complained about a particular shampoo that is Sulfate-free - thinking the sulfate-free is the cause, which couldn't be farther from the truth. The cause of very tangle-y hair prior to shampooing is:............ improper pH ! the solution? A different shampoo, I'm afraid, is the only answer to that problem.

Water and pH

First we need to understand a bit about ions. An ion is an atom or molecule that carries an electrical charge. Ionization is the separating of a substance into ions. These ions have opposite electrical charges... An ion with a negative electrical charge is an anion and an ion with a positive electrical charge is a cation. Now Ions are at the base of that T3 Dryer that is such a big hit now which I will go into on a different post.

In pure water, some of the water molecules naturally ionize into hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions. The pH scale measures those ions. The hydrogen ion (H+) is acidic..the hydroxide ion (OH) is alkaline. pH is only possible because of this ionization of water. Only aqueous solutions have pH, Non-aqueous solutions (oil and alcohol) do not have pH . . . without water there is no pH.

In pure water, every water molecule that ionizes produces one hydrogen ion and one hydroxide ion. Pure water is neutral because it contains the same number of hydrogen ions as hydroxide ions, meaning it is neither acidic nor alkaline. Pure water is 50 percent acidic and 50 % alkaline.

The pH Scale

The terms "parts hydrogen" or "potential hydrogen" are used to describe pH. In fact, the term pH originates from the French term pouvoir hydrogene , or hydrogen power" and means the relative degree of acidity and alkalinity of a substance. Notice that pH is written with a small p and a capital H ( which represents the hydrogen ion, H+) the symbol pH represents the quantity of hydrogen ions.

The pH values are arranged on a scale ranging from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 indicates a neutral solution, a pH below 7 indicates an acidic solution and a pH above 7 indicates an alkaline solution.

The pH scale is a logarithmic scale. this means that in a pH scale, a change of one whole number represents a tenfold change in pH. A pH of 8 is 10 times more alkaline than a pH of 7...a change of 2 whole numbers indicates a change of 10 times 10 or a one hundredfold change. A pH of 9 is 100 times more alkaline than a pH of 7.

Pure water, with a pH of 7, is 100 times more alkaline than a pH of 5. Since the average pH of hair and skin is 5, pure water is 100 times more alkaline than your hair and skin, even though it has a neutral pH.

Pure water can cause the hair to swell by as much as 20 percent.

pH and Shampoo

Understanding pH levels will help you select the proper shampoo for yourself . Remember, the amount of hydrogen in a solution, determines whether it is more alkaline or acid, is measured on a pH scale that has a range from 0 to 14. A shampoo that is more acid can have a pH rating from 0 to 6.9 , , , a shampoo that is more alkaline can have a pH rating from 7.1 to 14. The higher the pH rating ( more alkaline), the stronger and harsher the shampoo is to the hair. A high pH shampoo can leave the hair dry and brittle. Now why shampoo's don't have pH ratings on them instead of all the other words and BS I will never know, this is the one true scientific - tried and true method of knowing if the shampoo is going to work correctly- there are also some others.

The Chemistry of Shampoos

To determine which shampoo will leave your hair in the best condition, I must explain some of the chemical ingredients regularly found in shampoos. Most shampoo's share many ingredients in common. It is often the small differences in formulation that make one shampoo better than another for a particular hair texture or condition.

Water is the main ingredient in all shampoos and commonly is added at the rate of 30-40% of the formula.

Generally it is not just plain water, but purified or deionized ( ions removed) water. Water is usually the first ingredient listed, which indicates that the shampoo contains more water than anything else. From there on, ingredients are listed in descending order, according to the percentage of each ingredient in the shampoo or formula. This is how it is 'supposed' to be done but I would guess 8 times out of 10 it is not. Regulating hundreds of thousands of beauty products would require every single agency of the government shutting down and helping the FDA, it is virtually impossible.

Surfactants

The second ingredient that most shampoos have in common is the primary surfactant or base detergent. These 2 terms, surfactant and detergent mean the same thing: cleansing or "surface active" agent.

A surfactant molecule has two ends" a hydrophilic or water-attracting "head" and a lipophilic or oil-attracting "tail". During the shampoo process, the hydrophilic head attracts water, and the lipophilic tail attracts OIL. this creates a push-pull process that causes the oils, dirt, and deposits to roll up into little balls that can be lifted off in the water and rinsed from the hair ( see the photos).

Other ingredients are added to the base surfactants to create a wide variety of shampoo formulas. Moisturizers, oils, proteins, preservatives, foam enhancer's and perfumes are all standard components of shampoos.

OOPMAHS .... OOPMAHS ! One of the most thorough Segments on the subject

That's SHAMPOO backwards, because we are going to turn the subject upside down and inside out

The first step of the 10,000 heads system is Shampoo, formerly it was Nutrition, and is chosen by which subject is asked about the most of the 10. So for the next 6 months its Shampoo. I would like to conquer and explain shampoo to you, the readers, in as detailed a method as possible, without 'losing your interest'. So we will brush on pH & its importance, explain the role of surfactants, try to explain all the various categories and finally thoroughly discuss the whole SLS and Sulfate controversy along with my ideas on the subjects. I will end with the most extensive sulfate-free shampoo list I can possibly come up with. Sound good? I hope so

Hair Anatomy

This is something I should have discussed a long time ago, but hey, who knew I would still be going. I'm also going to wrench it up a notch with this discussion and start going into a bit more of the scientific angle, I am finding a lot of you are interested in the more technical talk and the more specific answers - so this will be my first attempt at a new level of explanation. Please feel free to leave comments at the end as to how you like or disliked it. Its the only way for me to learn.

Hair is composed of protein that grows of cells originating within the hair follicle. This is where the hair shaft begins. As soon as these living cells form, they begin their journey upward through the hair follicle. They mature in a process called keratinization. As these newly formed cells mature, they fill up with a fibrous protein called keratin, then move upward, lose their nucleus and die. You will see many products use that buzz word - Keratin. I have performed many experiments with pure Keratin, and truly did not notice any difference when it is added to hair conditioner products. The only way the market at the moment sells Keratin is in an aqueous state, the hair loves and adores anything OIL-BASED. I found some oil-based Keratin from New Zealand that I played around for a few months and had much better luck, the problem ended up being if I wanted to use it in a product, it would cost me a fortune to get it delivered from New Zealand, so I had to scratch that idea.

By the time the hair shaft emerges from the scalp, the cells of the hair are completely keratinized and are no longer living. The hair shaft that emerges from the scalp is a nonliving fiber composed of keratinized protein. Hair is a cylinder of impacted keratinized cells, I have included a simplified model of a single hair shaft (photo) and other various close-ups for you to refer to for the discussion of shampoo & hair care products. A cross section of the hair shaft shows you the 3 major structures of a fully mature and keratinized hair. The central-most layer is the medulla, the next layer is the cortex and the outer layer is the cuticle.

MEDULLA - this section of the hair contains melanin granules and is present only in very thick terminal hair - generally only thick coarse hair contains a medulla( all male beard hair contains one) its quite common for very fine and blond hair to entirely lack a medulla. The least important as far as hair care.

CORTEX - a fibrous protein core formed by elongated cells containing melanin pigment, about 90% of weight comes from the cortex. The elasticity and the hairs natural color begin here. Most of the changes to the hair shaft - such as those related to permanent color (oxidative coloring), semi permanent, chemical straightening, curling hair, permanent waving all occur in the cortex of the hair, the major component of the hair shaft. The cortex consists of elongated cells containing monofilament rich in cystine, this composition gives hair its great tensile strength.

CUTICLE - the integrity of the hair shaft is maintained by the cuticle. The cuticle consists of flattened cells along the hair shaft arranged like shingles on a roof. The overlapping is extremely tight, preventing damage to the underlying cortex. This is the part of the hair I refer to the most, I hope you can remember these scales, they are important in many references I will make over time. When the cuticle is INTACT, the scales are SMOOTH, reflect light, and provide a shiny, healthy look to the hair! A healthy intact cuticle is the hair's primary defense against damage and this is the layer that really takes the most abuse. Lets just say > your cuticle hates your flat iron!

Hair is approximately 91 percent protein. 91% ! ! ! ! Now when I stress, when we get to the NUTRITION section soon, that PROTEIN -- PROTEIN -- PROTEIN must be burned into the back of your brain every time you go to eat, you can now see a hint of "why". The protein is made up of long chains of amino acids, which in turn are made up of elements. the elements that make up human hair are carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur. These five elements are also the major elements found in skin and nails (remember > I find so many similarities in skin and hair - my basis for how THRIVEN was conceived) are often referred to as the COHNS elements. Table 8-1 shows the % of each element in normal hair.

                                                                                              

The amino acids, the units of structure in protein, are linked together end to end like Mardi Gras beads. the chemical bond that joins amino acids to each other is called a peptide bond . A long chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds is called a polypeptide chain. Polypeptide chains intertwine around each other in a spiral shape called a helix.

The 4 most important hair characteristics that affect its function and appearance are density, elasticity, porosity and texture. Which is an entire Department or D-E-P-T its initials.

DENSITY : measures the number of individual hair strands on one square inch (2.5 cm-Andre!). It indicates how many hairs there are on a persons head. Hair density can be classified as low, medium, or high ( or thin, medium, or thick-dense). Hair density is different from hair texture in that different individuals with the same hair texture can have different densities. Some individuals may have coarse hair texture ( each hair has a large diameter), but low hair density ( a low number of hairs on the head). Others may have fine hair texture (each hair has a small diameter) but high hair density ( a high number of hairs on the head). Hope that isn't too confusing, this is an important fact for those of you working with me on hair color consultations. The more info like this that you can break down and explain to me the more "right-on" we will get with your own personal hair color formulation. So if you have any questions on this be sure to ask at the bottom in the "COMMENTS" section, lets clear it up once and for all.

The average hair density is about 2,200 hairs per square inch. Hair with high density ( thick or dense hair) has more hairs per square inch. The average head of hair contains about 100,000 individual hair strands. the number of hairs on the head generally varies with the color of hair. Blondes usually has the highest density and redheads ( boo-hoo) have the lowest.

POROSITY: If only I could stress the importance of this characteristic, I would be able to access some of your hair so much easier. Porosity is the ability of the hair to absorb moisture. The degree of porosity is directly related to the condition of the cuticle layer. Healthy hair with a compact cuticle layer is naturally resistant to penetration. Porous hair has a raised cuticle layer that easily absorbs water.

Hair with low porosity is considered resistant (see photo) . Chemical services performed on hair with low porosity require a more alkaline solution than those on hair with high porosity. Alkaline solutions raise the cuticle and permit uniform saturation and processing.

Hair with average porosity is considered normal (see photo) . Chemical services performed on this type of hair will usually process as expected, according to texture, which is why if I know this about your hair I can gauge more accurately your outcome, so I encourage all of you to figure each of these characteristics out about your own hair, its good information to have for life, I feel.

Hair with high porosity is considered overly porous and is the results of previous over processing (see photo).Over porous hair is damaged, dry, fragile and brittle. Chemical services performed on overly porous hair require less alkaline solutions with a lower pH. This will help over processing.(Yes, I realize we need to go into the whole entire pH story, which we will very very soon - it is hard to decide whether to start with the chicken or the egg in explaining this - its ALL necessary).

The Texture of the hair is not an indication of its porosity. Different degrees of porosity can be found in all hair textures. Although coarse hair normally has a low porosity and is resistant to chemical services, coarse hair can also have high porosity as the result of previous chemical services.

Here is a nifty trick . . you can check porosity on dry hair by taking a strand of several hairs from 4 different areas of the head ( the front hairline, the temple, the crown, and the nape). Hold the strand securely with one hand while sliding the thumb and forefinger of the other hand from the end to the scalp. If the hair feels smooth and the cuticle is compact, dense and hard, it is considered resistant. If you can feel a slight roughness, it is considered porous. If the hair feels rough, dry or breaks it is considered overly porous.

HAIR ELASTICITY Is the ability of the hair to stretch and return to its original length without breaking. Hair Elasticity is an indication of the strength of the side bonds that hold the hair's individual fibers in place. Wet hair with normal elasticity will stretch up to 50% of its original length and return to that length without breaking. Hair with normal elasticity holds the curl from wet sets and permanent waves without excessive relaxing.

Hair with low elasticity is brittle and breaks easily. Hair with low elasticity may not be able to hold the curl from wet setting, thermal styling ( curling irons ) or perms. Hair with low elasticity is the result of weak side bonds that usually result from over processing. Chemical services performed on hair with low elasticity require a milder solution with a lower pH, that solution minimizes damage and helps prevent additional over processing.

Check elasticity on wet hair by taking an individual strand from four different areas of the head ( the front hairline, the temple, the crown, and the nape). Hold a single strand of wet hair securely and try to pull it apart ( see photo - elasticity). If the hair stretches and returns to its original shape without breaking, it has normal elasticity. If the hair breaks easily or fails to return to it original length then it has low elasticity.

HAIR TEXTURE is the thickness of diameter of the individual hair strand. Hair texture can be be classified as coarse, medium, or fine and differs from individual to individual (see all photos). Hair can also vary from strand to strand on the same person's head! It is not uncommon for hair from different areas of the head to have different textures. Hair from the nape (back of the neck), crown, temples, and front hairline of the same person may all have different textures - just to confuse matters even more.

Coarse hair texture has the largest diameter. It is stronger than fine hair, for the same reason that a thick rope is stronger than a thin rope. Coarse hair also has a stronger structure. It usually requires more processing than medium or fine hair and may also be more resistant to that processing. It is usually more difficult for hair lighteners, hair colors, permanent waving solutions, and chemical hair relaxers to penetrate coarse hair, so that is why this subject is relevant in the overall scheme of hair .

Medium hair texture is the most common and it is the standard to which other hair is compared. Medium hair is considered normal and does not pose any special problems or concerns.

Fine hair has the smallest diameter and is more fragile, easier to process, and more susceptible to damage from chemical services than coarse or medium hair. Finer hair is hair that one should choose the least amount of time for chemical services possible, as a safeguard. With bleach you will be leaving it on quite a bit less than coarse hair. See why these characteristics are so very very important ? If you figure them out about your hair you can take them into account when coloring your hair the first time and therefore you can avoid any disasters from happening.

Hair Texture can be determined by feeling a single dry strand between the fingers. Take an individual strand from 4 different areas of the head -- the front hairline, the temple, the crown, and the nape -- and hold the strand securely with one hand while feeling it with the thumb and forefinger of the other hand. With a little practice you will be able to to feel the difference between coarse, medium and fine hair diameters.

These 4 major characteristics of the hair shaft, Density, Elasticity, Porosity & Texture (dept.) -- will affect the overall permeability of hair to chemicals.

Texture and Porosity are judged together in determining the processing time. Although porosity is more significant, texture is also important. Fine hair, having a small diameter, will become saturated with wave lotion more than hair with a large diameter if both are equally porous. Coarse hair that is very porous, however will process faster than fine hair that is not porous. The hair texture will also contribute to its elasticity. The stronger the hair shaft, the greater its elasticity.

Whew! that was a mouthful and a page full but its something I have wanted to get said. So I am glad it finally is. This is just the beginning of how the hair structure pertains to shampoos and hair care products, which is all forth coming so just hang on - I hope you will like this series, lots of facts - lots of science .... KC